


The Gift

by Ayearandaday



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Birthday Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 00:47:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20986049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayearandaday/pseuds/Ayearandaday
Summary: Based on old @reylo_prompts prompt I can’t find.On Rey’s birthday her chef boyfriend Ben takes her to McDonalds because she loves it.





	The Gift

**Author's Note:**

> A little self-indulgent fluffy story because happy birthday to me.  
Lots of thanks to fulcrum_of_pemberley, my lovely beta.

Life has an odd sense of humor, it seems. As someone who’d spent her childhood perpetually underfed, Rey never expected to find herself in a relationship with a cook. No, not _a_ cook, _the_ cook. Ben is actually culinary royalty. His grandmother, Padme Naberrie, was the Julia Child of her time who managed to write books alongside her political career. Her husband, Anakin Skywalker, was a successful restaurateur who passed his business to their son, world-renowned chef Luke Skywalker. Their daughter Leia, who coincidentally is Ben’s mother, is a revered food critic and even her husband, Han Solo, owns a chain of successful BBQ restaurants.

And Rey – she doesn’t fit in this story, not really. An orphan to whom McDonald’s was the greatest treat, she naturally turned into a woman who couldn’t tell the difference between Bechamel, Mornay, and mayo. Her taste buds had been burned from existence ages ago. She might love food, but not in the way Ben does. But Rey loves Ben, and Ben loves her. End of story.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t fidgety when he promises her a surprise for her birthday. Ben comes from a world of Michelin Restaurants and five-star hotels. Rey would rather settle for Netflix and chill.

“Are you sure I’m not under-dressed?” she asks him nervously for the fifth time. Her jeans and nice sweater are casual, just like he requested, but still.

“I am. You look beautiful, Sweetheart,” Ben says sincerely before kissing her temple and just like that, Rey is mush. How this man turns her into jelly every time she’ll never know.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” her boyfriend says cryptically. “We’re almost there.”

Rey looks around, confused. There’s no sign of a posh restaurant or a picturesque café. The only thing she sees is a familiar big yellow sign. Her eyes round.

“Is that..?”

“Yes,” Ben confirms.

Rey turns to him with mouth agape.

“You _hate _McDonald’s!”

“But,” he shrugs. “I love _you_.”

Three words. Eight letters. Her eyes prickle. She cries, she laughs, but most importantly she kisses her wonderful, thoughtful, amazing boyfriend senseless, right in the middle of the street. Rey is the happiest woman alive.

Rey smiles politely at the guests and poses for photos. The engagement ring sparkles on her finger prettily. A journalist asks her a couple of questions and Rey silently thanks the Maker that she doesn’t have to do a full interview. Her birthday may be tomorrow, but right now it’s not her day, it’s Ben’s. Her gorgeous fiancé is opening his own restaurant, _Rayon de Lumière_. She is so proud and not a little bit flattered, because if that’s not a grand declaration of love, then what is?

There is only one tiny problem – all this socializing makes her hungry and the beautiful 100% Instagrammable, Pinterest-worthy finger food does nothing for her. Besides, Rey doesn’t want to smudge the make-up Rose painstakingly applied earlier. So she smiles like a trooper and prays for it all to end sooner rather than later. Finally, the last guest leaves, the managers take over, and Ben guides her to their car where she ditches her heels with a happy sigh.

“Tired?” he asks her sympathetically.

“Mm hmm.” Rey answers very coherently. Ben leans in to give her a quick peck.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.” She leans back in her seat and closes her eyes, thinking about home. Several minutes later Rey opens her eyes in puzzlement, realizing that Ben took a wrong turn. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he grins deviously and she is absolutely prepared to smack his (admittedly muscular) arm when she sees the familiar yellow letters.

“Seriously? McDonald’s?”

Coruscant’s best chef shrugs. “You are hungry and it’s already after midnight, so… happy birthday?”

Rey throws herself into his arms, torn between her craving for food and for her fiancé. It’s midnight, she is going to eat McDonald’s in an evening dress, and she feels like the luckiest woman on earth.

“Jacen, don’t throw fries at your sister,” chastises Rey. Her son pouts, reminding her heavily of his father.

“Whom can I throw fries at? Can I throw a cookie at her?” At this point it’s obvious that Jacen is a born lawyer. Both Rey and Ben sigh.

“Mommy says you shouldn’t play with food,” quips Jaina innocently. “Right, Mom?”

“Daddy says McDonald’s isn’t food, right, Dad?” the boy retorts. Ben pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Regardless, you can’t throw _anything_ at _anyone_. We are in public.”

“But it’s not a _nice_ place,” argues Jacen.

“Yes, why didn’t you take Mommy to your restaurant? It’s her birthday,” interjects Jaina. Ben sighs again.

“Because he is supposed to take her to another place or it won’t be a surprise,” interjects her brother. “Uncle Poe says that ladies love surprises.”

“Does he?” asks Rey in amusement.

“Yep. He also says you and Daddy have oddballs traditions. Mom, what is oddballs?” the boy asks. Rey gapes at him.

“I’ll kill Dameron,” mutters Ben.

“I want ice cream,” thankfully announces Jaina. Jacen perks up.

“Me, too!”

“McFlurry!”

“No, McSundae!”

“No, McFlurry!”

“Both,” announces Rey and the kids finally shut up. “You get both, we are celebrating after all.”

“Does Daddy get ice cream too?”

“Daddy gets water,” Ben states blankly. The kids look at him, flabbergasted. “I don’t like McDonald’s food,” he explains. They frown.

“But you brought Mommy here!” exclaims Jaina.

“Why’d you take her somewhere you don’t like to celebrate her birthday?” asks Jacen with an appalled expression.

His father smiles softly.

“Mommy loves McDonald’s and I love her very much,” Ben says solemnly and Rey’s heart, as always, skips a beat. He leans in to kiss her and the kids yelp “Eww”. She smiles against his lips. It may not be the most romantic setting in the world, but she wouldn’t change a single thing, even though her husband is exasperated and her children covered in ketchup. Here, with her family, she feels like the most cherished woman on earth.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear, I have no idea why I keep writing about food. I'm not on diet or anything.


End file.
